Principles of Leadership - Delegate Authority

 

This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters.

During 2022, my theme is “10 Principles of Spiritual Leadership”.  Last time we concluded principle #5, “Be Available”.  Today we begin principle #6, “Delegate Authority”.  

In short, it is good for leaders to delegate authority to those who serve with them because that was Jesus’ method. 

We read in Matthew 10:1, that “He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.”

His model was similar when He sent out the 72 in Luke 10.  “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him … He told them, “Heal the sick who are there … he who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me …”  The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name [or in the Authority of Your Name].” (vss. 1, 9, 16-17)

Lastly, Jesus’ example is seen again in what is known as the Great Commission.  “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20) Jesus conferred, or passed on, His authority to his disciples and to all who follow Him to this day.  

While we can’t provide the empowerment of the Holy Spirit as Jesus does for His followers, we can delegate to others our authority, our blessing, and our support.  This concept of delegating not only tasks - but also the authority needed to accomplish them - is vital to success.  

Perhaps you’ve had the experience of having a task delegated to you but without the resources (funds, people or decision-making power) necessary to successfully complete that task.  That has happened to me, and it’s very frustrating.  I felt constrained, as if my hands were tied, and I realized that my chances of success were very low. 

As leaders, it is important that we delegate the necessary authority to others when we assign tasks to them.  However, having delegated, we cannot merely walk away, assuming that everything will be accomplished as expected.  We will discuss this further when we reach Principle #9, Provide Feedback.  

In my next podcast, we will continue this principle and will discuss some benefits of delegating to others.  

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.